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The Economics of Intangible Capital

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  • Nicolas Crouzet
  • Janice C. Eberly
  • Andrea L. Eisfeldt
  • Dimitris Papanikolaou

Abstract

Intangible assets are a large and growing part of firms' capital stocks. Intangibles are accumulated via investment--foregoing consumption today for output in the future—but they lack a physical presence. Rather than stopping with this "lack," we instead focus on the positive properties of intangibles. Specifically, intangibles must be stored, so characteristics of the storage medium have important implications for their value and use. These properties include non-rivalry, allowing the intangible to be used simultaneously in different production streams, and limited excludability, which prevents the firm from capturing all the benefits or rents from the intangible. We develop these ideas in a simple way to illustrate how outcomes such as scalability and distribution of ownership follow. We discuss how intangibles can help to understand important trends in macroeconomics and finance, including productivity, factor shares, inequality, investment and valuation, rents and market power, and firm financing.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicolas Crouzet & Janice C. Eberly & Andrea L. Eisfeldt & Dimitris Papanikolaou, 2022. "The Economics of Intangible Capital," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 36(3), pages 29-52, Summer.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:jecper:v:36:y:2022:i:3:p:29-52
    DOI: 10.1257/jep.36.3.29
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. IKEUCHI Kenta & FUKAO Kyoji & Cristiano PERUGINI & Fabrizio POMPEI, 2023. "Which Employers Share Rents? A firm-level analysis for Japan," Discussion papers 23048, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    2. Joel M. David & François Gourio, 2023. "The Rise of Intangible Investment and the Transmission of Monetary Policy," Chicago Fed Letter, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, vol. 0, pages 1-8, August.
    3. Thomas Hasenzagl & Luis Perez, 2023. "The Micro-Aggregated Profit Share," Papers 2309.12945, arXiv.org, revised Nov 2023.
    4. Nicolas Crouzet & Janice C. Eberly & Andrea L. Eisfeldt & Dimitris Papanikolaou, 2022. "A Model of Intangible Capital," NBER Working Papers 30376, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • E25 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O34 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital

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